Caravan, London

In the short time that Caravan has been up and running, news of it's brilliance has travelled fast! I knew if I was ever in the Kings Cross area of London and looking for a fantastic brunch location I'd choose here without a second thought. When that day arrived, a cold and windy Saturday morning, I made sure I arrived early to avoid disappointment.

Outside Caravan

The setting is beautiful, just a stones throw away from Kings Cross Station - a renovation of an industrial scale took place on the granary buildings which now form Caravan, and 'The Grain Store' (another excellent breakfast eatery) situated right next door.

Interior to Caravan

As we waited outside we could see other groups arriving in quiet anticipation, and before long we were stood alongside probably 50 other people all wanting to get into the restaurant by their 10am opening time. Thankfully the inside is huge so 50 people seemed like a drop in the ocean once we had all sat down - the urban vibe continues with warehouse style décor, exposed cables and a kitchen not completely hidden due to careful placement of some metal bars. We were greeted by a very friendly member of the waiting who sat us down on one of many two seater tables around the edge of the restaurant. The centre of the restaurant has many long tables which I imagine work in a sort of bench format whereby you have to sit close to other parties - something I believe adds to the atmosphere but maybe isn't everyone's cup of tea.

My mum and I were aware of how many people were filtering on through the doors as we mulled over the menu, so we were keen to put our order in quickly. Just as we were discussing the vast popularity of the venue and how different it was to any other place we had visited, another cheery waiter took our order and insisted it wouldn't be long. He was right!...the efficiency of the coffees arriving and subsequently our hot food was impressive - and really added to the vibe of the place which was complemented by upbeat music and lively chatter.

Field Mushrooms on toast

My mum opted for the field mushrooms on toast - I have to admit even though she absolutely loved them, I got the impression she wished she had tried one of the more adventurous options on the menu (there were, after all, plenty of them!). Nevertheless, I tried one of the mushrooms and they were delicious, packed full of flavour and exactly as natured desired, without much fuss or pretention.

Courgette Fritters and Feta cheese

I, on the other hand, couldn't resist one of the more unique offerings, a courgette and corn fritter served with herbed feta and tomato sauce. It was fantastic, the crisp fritter went wonderfully with the creamy cheese, and the tomato sauce certainly wasn't like any ketchup I've ever tasted, so sweet and fresh. It was an excellent dish which both retained the rustic feel of the restaurant, but also showed off it's flair and originality.

White Chocolate mousse cake

Before leaving we couldn't resist sampling one of their homemade cakes (mainly because we had seen some bought past our table and we had suffered severe food envy). We opted for their white chocolate and raspberry mousse cake, and it was divine. My mum and I both tucked in, and with audible delight finished off the plate full in no time at all (which was also noted by our table neighbour who suggested it was the fastest she had ever seen anyone eat a cake - how embarrassing!)

Unisex Toilets (!)

I can see why Caravan has gained itself such a great reputation in such a short amount of time and I would happily return to sample another of their interesting breakfast options, and I would suggest you do too! The whole establishment feels very 'new' and exciting, despite, I imagine, the designers best efforts to try and make it seem as rustic as possible (just look at the work which must have gone into making their new toilets look so worn and grimy!)...but I loved it!

http://www.caravankingscross.co.uk/

Debut (Surf and Turf Night), Norwich

I have previously done a review on the City College's Debut Restaurant on this blog and sung their praises, not only for the excellent food which always seems to leave their trainee kitchen, but also the service, which I find adds to the charm of this restaurant in droves. We are becoming regulars to Debut now after having sampled their Christmas menus twice and also been to their evening tasting menus too, but this visit was slightly different. This particular night was a one off 'themed menu', one of a number of evenings, where the set menu followed a particular cuisine, food fad, or indeed movie (in the case of the Willy Wonka night!).
We opted for the Surf and Turf night mainly because the set menu looked incredible, but also because the last time we had beef in the restaurant it was outstanding.

Debut Restaurant

If you didn't know already Debut is part of the city college and trains up students for a career in hospitality and front of house, or the kitchen; therefore you must go expecting slightly disjointed, and occasionally slow service, but excellent quality food and a brilliant experience. This evening was slightly different to the nights we had previously experienced, whether it was because we visited later on in the academic year, or because they had been able to study and remember the one off menu off by heart, the front of house team had enhanced professionalism and the food was (as always) outstanding.

Breads

First the bread is bought to your table, with an oil and vinegar dip to wet your appetite - we polished off the bread pretty quickly, but they were more than happy to bring another board out to keep us going. Our one and only problem with the evening actually was with this course, and that was that the oil bowl was far too deep so it was very difficult to reach the balsamic underneath. A tiny inconvenience for us, and one which could be rectified in no time at all - testament to the quality of the rest of the evening in my opinion.

Smoked Salmon Blinis

The next course always consists of a small canapé, and this was a smoked salmon blini with horseradish and dill cream. This melted in the mouth, and was much lighter than I imagined, possibly due to the lightness of the mousse. What I love about Debut is that you know each component of each dish will be hand-made; from the mousse and blini on this dish, to the sorbets and sauces on the other plates you know they have been lovingly crafted as well as providing someone with the knowledge to take that skill into their career.

Crab Soup, Crispy chicken skin

Next was their soup course - a tiny bowl of crab bisque with crispy chicken skin, and a crispy crab fishcake. The tomato-y soup had bags of flavour and the sweet chicken skin complemented the acidity of the soup very well. The fishcake was an unexpected but welcome addition which added depth, but also texture to the dish.

Twice baked cheese soufflé

Next followed our second course of indulgence - a mini cheese soufflé. I had tried their cheese soufflé before, and last time it was a total winner so I was really excited for this course, and hoping with such a tough skill to master that the kitchen managed to pull it off. We were not disappointed at all, it had all the necessary elements, with a fluffy texture and a rich creamy cheese sauce, the noises coming from our table certainly suggested we all loved it - I know I could have had 9 courses of that alone.

Belly pork, Langoustines and Cauliflower

As the next course arrived we were knew the meal had kicked up and into the next gear. The slow cooked belly pork just fell apart and the crispy crackling on top tasted divine when coupled with the tender langoustine and sweet creamy cauliflower puree.

Lager and Lime sorbet

As always with Debut prior to the main event you get a small glass filled with sorbet to cleanse your palette. This night was no exception, and being a surf and turf evening a lager and lime sorbet was perfectly fitting. Much to my surprise this was my big 'wow' moment of the evening, it was outstanding, the distinct flavour of a cool beer accompanied by a slice of lime bought back instant memories of the past Summer for me and made everyone on our table smile and want the recipe for the Summer to come.

BBQ sirloin, buttered lobster and béarnaise sauce

The main course then arrived and it looked as pretty as a picture - a pink medallion of sirloin steak complete with smoky BBQ flavour was served alongside buttered lobster with a creamy béarnaise sauce, spinach, carrot puree and roasted carrot. This was all finished off with a rich meaty gravy swirl which tied the whole dish together. Again we couldn't wait to tuck in and we loved the dish, each ingredient was handled with care and cooked brilliantly - certainly not the kind of dish you would naturally expect to come out of a kitchen manned predominantly by young students.

Deep Fried Brie, Apple chutney

The final savoury course to come to the table was a small cube of deep fried brie which when cut into oozed yumminess into the sweet apple chutney underneath. Again the small bowl delivered on flavour as well as presentation and left you desperate for some sweetness in the form of the dessert which was to follow.

'The Irish Coffee'

The final course to arrive was layered much like an ice cream sundae and was supposed to emulate an Irish coffee, with Coffee brulee, milk ice cream, a layer of chocolate crunch and topped with a whisky and baileys foam. This was a real treat for any coffee lover and completed the meal perfectly. The foamy mousse on top zinged with the sweet flavour or Baileys and the warmth of whisky, which was cooled down by the creamy milk ice cream. This was further enhanced texturally by the chocolate biscuit crumb and the creamy coffee brulee. Eaten together (if your spoon could find a piece of everything!) it made me both smile, and 'ooo' with sheer enjoyment.

Salted Caramel Chocolates

To finish the meal, coffee and petit fours were bought to each table and the selection this time was a milk chocolate shell which contained a gooey salted caramel.
Debut had undoubtedly delivered again...and faultlessly this time - from the presentation of the plates, to the service we received and the complexity of flavours which were delivered with each and every course we left very happy customers.
I genuinely believe this is Norwich's hidden gem, and one which everyone should know about not only for it's excellent value but as one of the county's best fine dining restaurants!

http://debut.ccn.ac.uk/

The Reindeer, Norwich

The Reindeer Pub and Kitchen wouldn't be the kind of place you would expect to find modern British cuisine done brilliantly well. Situated on the side of a busy road just outside the city centre you wouldn't think twice about passing it by and heading out into the Norfolk countryside to find an authentic countryside eating establishment.

It was lucky I had been into The Reindeer for a drink and noticed the blackboards packed full with delicious sounding bar snacks such as 'black pudding scotch egg' and 'haggis cakes with whisky sauce' that I decided it was not only a beautiful traditional pub, but also a place I was desperate to return to in order to sample some of their food!

Outside The Reindeer

The inside is a really lovely pub, with an impressive dark wood bar and (as would be expected from the name) a number of mounted antlers on the walls. The atmosphere was bustling, which I imagine is normal for one of their extremely popular Sunday lunch shifts and the staff were all very friendly - although undoubtedly rushed off their feet from time to time.

The Bar

Unfortunately as we were there for their Sunday Lunch menu there were no starters available, a shame as I could see the specials board (obviously from another evening) packed full of things I'd have loved to have tried, however the menu we had to choose from was great. Two more 'traditional' roast dinners consisting of Beef and Pork, a slightly less conventional 'goat leg roast' (which was what I opted for - naturally, I'm never one for choosing the obvious!), Monk cheek for the fish main and a hazelnut, celeriac and sweet chestnut loaf for the veggie option.

Topside of Hevingham Beef

My Mum decided to go for the beef which was served with traditional accompaniments of roast potatoes, carrot mash and a huge Yorkshire pudding. The gravy was rich and smooth and the meat cooked perfectly - slightly pink in the middle and extremely tender.

Honningham Goat Leg

As mentioned previously I decided to try the Goat leg which arrived with the same roast accompaniments as the beef. I wasn't sure what to expect - maybe something a little like lamb, but I was quite wrong. It was very similar to beef, but with a deeper flavour which could be compared to that of venison. Either was it was delicious, and served with a different gravy, darker in colour and richer tasting too - I loved it so much I asked for a gravy boat so I could keep lapping up the flavour. The carrot puree was packed full of sweet flavour too which complemented the rich meaty flavours coming from the rest of the dish perfectly.

Spring Vegetables

Leek and Celeriac Gratin

The dishes were served alongside two side dishes, one consisting of Spring vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, carrots and peas) and the other a creamy leek and celeriac gratin. I always judge my vegetables (especially with a roast) on their texture as I often find they can be stewed and end up mushy and same tasting. This was not the case here at all, I'd go as far as to say the veg was actually under cooked (an excellent thing in my opinion) which meant it added crunch and freshness to the plate, but also meant each thing had a distinct flavour rather than them all merging into one.

The star of the sides though was undoubtedly the gratin, perfectly seasoned and creamy with a hint of cheese it rounded off the meal with hearty indulgence. We polished off the bowl with ease, and could have had double the amount (but maybe we are just greedy!)

Chocolate Marquis, Rose water cream

Because we couldn't decide between the two desserts on offer we opted for both of them in the centre of the table to share, the first, a chocolate marquis with rose water cream. I always worry slightly about chocolate desserts after such a heavy main course, however this was surprisingly light with chocolate sponge either side of a thick chocolate mousse. Although very chocolaty the rose cream seemed to balance the flavours too, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Cambridge Burnt Cream

The second was a Cambridge Burnt Cream - or crème brulee as it is more commonly known. This was divine, the perfectly crisp sugary top and the creamy vanilla custard underneath are a fail-safe combination which proved a fitting ending to an excellent meal.

Quote outside the restaurant

The Reindeer did not disappoint in any way, shape or form. The roast was one of the best I've ever eaten with all elements well thought out and excellent as stand alone components in their own right. I would heavily recommend visiting for Sunday lunch - but judging by the full restaurant it would be wise to book in advance. We loved it so much we are going back in a few weeks to sample their a la carte menu - and some of those starters we so desperately fancied!

http://www.thereindeerpub.co.uk/